Counties of Sweden

The counties of Sweden (Swedish: Sveriges län) are the top-level geographic subdivisions of Sweden. Sweden is today divided into 21 counties; however, the number of counties has varied over time, due to territorial gains/losses and to divisions and/or mergers of existing counties. This level of administrative unit was first established in the 1634 Instrument of Government on Lord Chancellor Count Axel Oxenstierna's initiative, and superseded the historical provinces of Sweden (Swedish: landskap) in order to introduce a more efficient administration of the realm. At that time, they were what the translation of län into English literally means: fiefdoms. The county borders often follow the provincial borders, but the Crown often chose to make slight relocations to suit its purposes.

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Counties of Sweden Sveriges län (Swedish)
Category	County
Location	Sweden
Number	21
Populations	Least: Gotland, 59,686 Most: Stockholm, 2,377,081
Areas	Smallest: Blekinge, 2,946.4km2 Largest: Norrbotten, 98,244.8km2
Government	Administrative board Regional council
Subdivisions	Municipality

Politics of Sweden
Basic Laws Instrument of Government Act of Succession Freedom of the Press Act Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression
Monarchy King (list): Carl XVI Gustaf Crown Princess: Victoria Royal family Royal Court Marshal of the Realm: Fredrik Wersäll
Executive Government: Kristersson Cabinet Prime Minister (list): Ulf Kristersson Deputy Prime Minister: Ebba Busch Government offices: Ministries Government agencies
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Elections Political parties Recent elections General: 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 European: 2004 2009 2014 2019 Local: 2014 2018 Referendums
Administrative divisions Counties County administrative boards Regional councils Municipalities
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Related topics Sámi Parliament Armed Forces Police Authority
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Administrative divisions of Sweden
Counties of Sweden
Administrative boards Regional councils
Municipalities of Sweden
List of municipalities
Other divisions
Historical divisions (Lands and Provinces) Statistical regions ISO codes for subdivisions
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In every county there is a county administrative board (länsstyrelse) headed by a governor (landshövding), appointed by the government, as well as a separate regional council (region). In the county of Gotland however, the county's only municipality has adopted regional responsibilities.

The aims of the county administrative board are to supervise local state administration (that is not otherwise assigned to other government agencies), and to coordinate political goals with the central government. The regional council is the elected regional political assembly that oversees the municipal affairs of the county, primarily in regard to public healthcare, public transport, and culture.

Several other government agencies are organised on a county basis, including the main bodies of the police, employment, social insurance, and forestry services.